2006 Canadian All-Stars announced

The American Hockey League announced today the Canadian AHL All-Star team roster for the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, to be played later this month at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man.

The team comprises players born in Canada; the PlanetUSA team was announced on Wednesday. AHL fans determined the starting lineups of both teams via on-line balloting at theahl.com, while a committee of AHL coaches selected the remainder of the rosters. All 27 teams are represented by at least one All-Star.

Among the members of the Canadian team are 18 first-time AHL All-Stars, including rookies Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf of Portland, Eric Fehr of Hershey, Jeff Tambellini of Manchester, Braydon Coburn of Chicago and Martin St. Pierre of Norfolk.

The selection of Kirby Law, Curtis Murphy and Josh Harding to the Canadian team gives the Houston Aeros a total of five representatives in the event, most in the league. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Portland Pirates will each send four players to Winnipeg.

Manitoba Moose forward Jimmy Roy was selected to captain the Canadian team, his first career AHL All-Star Classic appearance. And because he led Philadelphia to the Calder Cup championship in 2005, John Stevens will serve as the head coach for the Canadian AHL All-Stars.

Of the 364 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Pavol Demitra, Rick DiPietro, Patrik Elias, Miikka Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, Ryan Miller, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Steve Sullivan.

The 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic will take place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, home of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, and will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League. The event gets underway on Tuesday, January 31, with the 2006 CCM AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 7:00 p.m. (CT). The annual All-Star Game follows at 7:00 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, February 1, and will be televised live in North America.

Wade Flaherty, Goaltender: Despite regularly facing up-and-coming stars more than 15 years his junior, Wade Flaherty has had a terrific 2005-06 campaign, cracking the AHL’s top 10 in wins, goals-against average and save percentage and leading the entire circuit with five shutouts in 26 games. The MVP of the 2004 Calder Cup Playoffs and veteran of 120 NHL games is making the first AHL All-Star Game appearance of his 17-year professional career.

Nathan Paetsch, Defense:The top scorer on the 2005-06 Rochester Americans is third-year pro Nathan Paetsch, who has already set career highs with 26 assists and 31 points in just 37 games this year. Paetsch is tied for second among all AHL defensemen in scoring while helping to keep the Amerks in the hunt for their 17th consecutive Calder Cup Playoff appearance. A former second-round draft pick, Paetsch recorded an assist in his NHL debut with Buffalo on Jan. 7.

John Slaney, Defense:Making his fifth AHL All-Star Classic appearance (and fourth as a starter), John Slaney became the league’s all-time scoring leader among defensemen when he recorded his 454th career point on Dec. 30. Slaney is already the top point-getter in AHL All-Star history, totaling eight points in his first four contests and earning MVP honors at the 2001 event. The veteran captured his first pro championship last season, helping Philadelphia claim the Calder Cup.

Eric Fehr, Forward: Rookie Eric Fehr, Washington’s first-round pick in the 2003 draft, has recorded a team-leading 35 points in 38 games for Hershey, which owns one of the best records in the Eastern Conference. Ranked third among AHL rookies in scoring, Fehr, who hit the 50-goal mark in each of his final two junior seasons, potted a goal in five straight games from Nov. 11-20. The 20-year-old Manitoba native (Winkler) made his NHL debut with the Capitals on Dec. 18.

Kirby Law, Forward: Second only to teammate Erik Westrum on the AHL leaderboard with 52 points in 38 games, Kirby Law will be making his second All-Star appearance in 2006. Law has already secured his sixth 20-goal season in the AHL, sitting with a league-best 23 tallies to date. Also a native of Manitoba (McCreary), Law has played every contest for the Aeros over the past two years, and has skated in more than 97 percent of his teams’ games during his first eight professional seasons.

Corey Perry, Forward:Taking the AHL by storm in his rookie season, Corey Perry tallied 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 19 games for Portland before being recalled by parent Anaheim this week. Perry’s 17-game scoring streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 31 was the longest in Pirates history, and he was named co-winner (with teammate Ryan Getzlaf) of the Rbk Hockey AHL Rookie of the Month award for December. Perry, 20, led the OHL in scoring while steering London to a Memorial Cup championship last season.